View full sizeThere were banners and boos, but not quite Cleveland-style anger when Carmelo Anthony made his first return to Denver last week.David Zalubowski, Associated Press

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cavalier fans, take a bow. I think.

This past week saw Dwight Howard make his first return to Orlando since forcing the trade to the Lakers, and Carmelo Anthony's first return to Denver since forcing the trade to New York. Though both were greeted with the predictable boisterous boos, in both instances, writers I follow on Twitter made the point that it was nowhere near the venomous reception LeBron James received in his first return to Cleveland. So you've got that going for you.

Of course, neither of those players announced their intentions in an hour-long television special, and both made their intentions to leave known ahead of time so their teams could make the best possible deals and not be left empty-handed, as the Cavs were.

Interestingly, James returns again -- for the fourth time -- on Wednesday. The Cavs are 1-2 in Cleveland against the Heat since James moved to Miami. He will make his fifth return on April 15.

But fans are in a bit of a dicey situation. Many are still angry about how James left. But he has raised the possibility of returning, perhaps as soon as the summer of 2014, when he can opt out of his contract. So the question becomes how to greet a defector who is reportedly considering a reunion.

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